Folding seat.



No. 636,67l.

. Patented Nov. 7, |899. H. S. KIDD & M. H. DEPUE.

FOLDING SEAT.

[Application led July 13, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

No. 636,67I. Patented Nov. 7, |899.

H. S. KIDD & M. H. DEPUE.

FOLDING SEAT.

(Application filed July 13, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Hodel.)

W/ TN E SSE S NiTE STATES ATENT ENIGE.

HENRY STEPHEN KIDD AND MICHAEL HENRY DEPUE, OF VASHINGTON, NEW JERSEY.

FOLDING SEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,671, dated November 7, 1899.

Application filed J'uly 13, 1899. Serial No. 723,694. (No model.)

To all whom 1115 may concern.-

Beit known that We, HENRY STEPHEN KIDD and MICHAEL HENRY DEPUE, of Washington, in the county of Warren and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Seats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a folding stool of very simple, durable, and economic construction and means for quickly and conveniently applying a folding back to the stool and for mounting the stool upon rockers with or without the back when desired.

Another object of the invention is to construct all portions of the article in such manner that they may be very light, yet strong, and so that the attaching devices will also be light, durable, readily understood, and easily manipulated.

Another object of the invention is to so'construct a stool that when in use it may be partially folded and conveniently carried in the hand from one point to another, and still another object of the invention is to so construct a stool that its several parts may be easily separated, folded, and conveniently packed in a trunk or other receptacle suitable for the purpose. y

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved seat provided with a back and mounted upon rockers. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the improvedv seat. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of two of the legs, the legs being folded. Fig. 4: is a rear elevation `of the back of the seat removed from engagement with the legs, the back being shown as partially folded. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the rockers. Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken practically on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the socket-heads adapted to receive the legs of the seat at their pivot-points, and Fig. S is a detail perspective view of one member of alatch used in connection with the socket-head shown in Fig.y 7. In the construction of the stool-section A of the seat, which stool-section is capable of use alone, two pairs oflegs are employed, and the two legs B and B of each pair are reversely curved from a point at or near their centers, so that the legs are somewhat S- shaped in general contour.

Each pair of legs is adapted to be tted in a head 11, and two of these heads are employed, being secured by pins .13 or their equivalents to a shaft or spindle 10. In opposite sides of each head 11 a transverse angular slot is produced, designated, respectively,

vas 12 and 12, and a socket 13?L is produced in the outer face of each head 11 between the recesses 12 and 12a by forming horizontal projections 14 and 14Ea from the outer face of each head 11, one projection being at the upper portion of the slot or recess 12a and the other projection at the bottom portion of the opposing slot or recess 12, as is shown best in Fig. 7. An angle-plate 16 is fitted into the slot or recess 12a, being held in the sockethead to which it is applied by any suitable means, and the said plate 16 extends beyond the outer face of the socket-head to which it is applied and is provided with a downwardly extending lug 17, as shown in Fig. 3. A corresponding plate 15 is secured in the slot or recess 12 of each socket-head 11, and said plate 15 at its outer end is provided with an upwardly-extending lug 19, as shown particularly in Fig. 3, adapted as a keeper for a latch 1S, the said latch being pivoted to the aforesaid lug 17, as shown in Figs. l and 3.

The legs of each pair are connected by means of a suitable pivot-pin 20, and where the pivot-pin is located a wear-plate 21 is fastened upon the outer leg B. The legs when folded are placed in the sockets 13at of the heads 11, and when spread apart one leg bears against the inner face of a projection 14 of a head and the other leg against the inner face of the opposing projection 149 of the head, and the legs are held in their spread position by causing the latches 1S to cross the legs and engage with the keepers 19, as shown in Fig. 1.

Each leg at its upper end is provided with IOO a ferrule 22, and the ferrule of the leg B is provided with a staple or keeper 23 and a headed pin 24, both being at the upper end of the ferrule or upper end of the leg, while at the upper end of each leg B' a headed pin 25 is placed, and in the opposite sides of the ferrule, in the upper end of these legs B', recesses 26 are produced, as shown in Figs. l and 3.

Vhen the legs are folded outward in position for use, the concaved edges of the legs of each pair face each other, and each leg B is provided with a socket-plate 27, attached to its outer edge near the bottom. Each socket-plate 27 is used in connection with the recesses 26 in the ferrules on the legs B' to support a back C, as are likewise staples 23, that are secured to the rear edges of the legs B' above their pivot-points.

The seat D consists of a strip of canvas 29 or other pliable material attached in anysuitable or approved manner to the front crossbar 30 and a rear cross-bar 3l, and each of these cross-bars 30 and 3l is provided with recesses in its under face to receive the heads of the pins 24 and 25, carried by the legs B and B', and the front cross-bar 30 is also provided with hooks 33, that enter the staples 23 on the legs B. The front cross-bar 30 is rst attached to the forward upper ends of the legs, the rearcross-bar 31 being secured to the upper rear portions of the legs after the front attachment is made.

The back C consists of two side bars 34, preferably made tapering and having their lower ends curved to conform to the curvature of the rear upper portions of the legs B'. The side bars 34 of the back are connected at the top and near the bottom by pivotallyunited braces C', constructed in sections 36 and 36, the braces being secured to opposite side bars 34, and each pair of braces is connected by a pivot-pin 35. The inner end of each brace 36 extends beyond the pivot 35 and is reduced in width and provided with outwardly-extending ears 37, adapted to be sprung into recesses 38, made in the member or section 36, as shown in both Figs. 2 and 4. The braces 36 and 36 are preferably in the form of straps or fiat springs of metal, so that they may be light and strong and yet occupy but little space. Vhen the back is to be folded, the two sections of each brace C' are disconnected and carried downward,as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the sides 34 may be brought together. A ferrule 39 is located at the lower end of each side bar 34 of the back, and each ferrule is provided with a downwardlyextending and preferably curved spring-finger 40, said fingers being arranged to enter the keepers 2S of the legs B',as shown in Fig. l. The back is also held in connection with the stool A through the medium of jaws 4l, pivoted one at each side of each side bar 34 of the back below the lower braces C', and the handles of these jaws are held apart by springs 42. Then the handles are thus separated by the springs, the jaws will be held in locking engagement with the recessed portions 26 of the ferrules on the legs B' of the stool.

Any desired cover 43 is provided for the back, being attached only to the side bars 34; but a pliable material is preferably used for said cover 43.

In order to give strength to the back C, which it will be observed is detachable from the stool A, braces 44 are pivoted to the curved or lower portions of the side bars 34, and the lower ends of these braces when the back C is set up are made to enter the socketplates 27, as shown in Figs. l and 2. If desired, the stool. A, with the back C attached or without the back, may be mounted upon rockers 45, the rockers being provided with socket-plates 46 at their forward ends, arranged to receive the lower ends of the legs B', and with socket-plates 47 near their rear ends, arranged to receive the lower ends of the legs B. Thus it will be observed that the device may be set up and used simply as a stool with or without a back or as a rocker with or without a back and that the various parts may be folded together, conveniently carried, and quickly set up when required.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a folding stool having keepers on its legs, of a back having lingers arranged to enter said keepers, and spring-pressed j aws arranged to lock said back on the legs, as set forth.

2. Afolding stool, com prisingpivotally-connected legs, heads having sockets in which said legs are received and projections against which the legs abut when spread, keepers secured to said heads, and latches pivoted on said heads and arranged to cross the legs and engage the keepers whereby to lock the legs in spread position, as set forth.

3. A folding stool comprising pivotally-connected legs arranged in pairs., one pair independent of the other, heads arranged to receive the pairs of legs and limit their spreading movement, locking devices for the legs, means for connecting said heads, and a seat supported by the legs.

4. A folding stool comprising pivotally-connected legs arranged in independent pairs, heads having sockets formed therein to receive the pairs of legs and limit their spreading movement, locking devices for the legs, means for connecting said heads, a removable seat supported by the legs, and rockers provided with devices for attachment to the legs of the stool, said rockers being detachable from said legs, as described.

5. The combination, with a stool provided with upper and lower keepers at the upper back portions of its legs, of a back provided with fingers arranged to enter the lower keep- IOO IIO

ers on the stool, and jaws adapted for clamping engagement with the upper keepers on the stool, as specified.

6. The combination, with a folding stool and upper and lower keepers at the rear portions of the legs of the stool, of a folding back provided with fingers arranged to enter the lower keepers, and spring-controlled jaws adapted to grasp the upper keepers on the legs of the stool, as described. 4

7. The combinatiomwithafolding stool,and upper and lower keepers attached to the upper rear portions of the legs of the stool, the lower rear portions of said legs being likewise provided with keepers, of a back comprising side bars arranged for engagement at their lower ends with the upper rear portions of the legs of the stool, said side bars being provided with fin gers adapted to enter the lowermost of the upper keepers on the legs of the stool,and with spring-controlled jaws adapted for engagement with the uppermost keepers on the legs of said stool, pairs of braces pivotally connected with each other and with the side bars, means for locking each pair of braces in horizontal alinement, and main braces pivotally attached to the lower portion of the side bars of the back, which main braces are arranged to enter the lowermost keepers on the legs of the stool, as set forth.

8. Afolding stool,comprising pivotally-connected legs arranged in pairs, one leg of each pair being formed with a headed pin at its upper end, while the other legs are formed with headed pins and keepers, and a seat having rear and front cross-bars, one of which is formed with recesses arranged to receive the pins of two of the legs and the other of which is formed with recesses to receive the pins of the other legs and is also provided with hooks adapted to enter said keepers, as set forth.

HENRY STEPHEN KIDD. MICHAEL HENRY DEPUE. Witnesses:

DAVID BARTRON, WILLIAM A. BAYLOR. 

